Rowland Wins Another "Golden Bell Award" for Family Resource Center

ROWLAND UNIFIED WINS ANOTHER “GOLDEN BELL” AWARD

FROM CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION

Family Resource Center Honored for Services to Community

ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA – DECEMBER 2, 2010 – The Rowland Unified School District’s Family Resource Center will be awarded the prestigious “Golden Bell Award,”which promotes excellence in education by recognizing outstanding school programs across the state. The Center provides families access to needed health and social services through a collaborative of more than 40 governmental and private agencies who work together so students can succeed in school. The Golden Bell Awards Luncheon is this Saturday, December 4, at the California School Boards Association Education Conference in San Francisco.

Many families face challenges of homelessness, domestic violence, child abuse, health and emotional issues with no insurance, threats of gang involvement, unemployment, and fear of deportation. The Rowland Family Resource Center (FRC) employs community liaisons who bridge the gap between home and school and work to eliminate the barriers that these families face. The FRC also receives federal funding for a McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Grant in which 2,300 students in the District that are homeless receive uniforms, backpacks, school supplies, bus passes, transportation, scholarships for extra-curricula activities, emergency food and holiday baskets. An annual fair is held in the spring to provide resources to these homeless families.

Other services provided by the Family Resource Center include: Substance Abuse and tobacco and violence prevention programs for the entire District; Coordination of the District Community of Caring Program -- lessons in core values, community service, parent involvement opportunities and teen forums; The Early Mental Health Initiative, where trained paraprofessionals provide individual and small group lessons to almost 400 at-risk Kindergarten – Third graders each year; and the First Five School Readiness Initiative, monthly lessons to promote literacy by visiting the homes of more than 160 families of preschools in low-performing schools.

“We are especially honored to receive this award since it reflects our District’s commitment to outreach to our community, providing needed health and social services through many partnerships and grants,” said Rowland Unified Superintendent Dr. Maria Ott. “We are proud of the tremendous work of our staff that epitomizes our ‘Community of Caring’ values. This amazing resource center for our families is a treasure and example of what makes Rowland Unified unique.”

While many other school district resource centers have closed their doors because of budget issues or lack of funding sources, the Rowland Family Resource Center has been operational for more than 18 years, with successful programs growing each year. The Center relies on a unique bank of funds derived from Medi-cal reimbursement, grants, dedicated volunteers, and services from collaborative agencies.

The Rowland Unified School District is proud to serve 16,500 students at 21 elementary and secondary schools in the communities of Rowland Heights, Walnut, La Puente, City of Industry,andWest Covina. More than 5,000 adults (16+) are also served by the Rowland Adult and Community Education School. For more information about Rowland Unified, call (626) 965-2541 or visit www.RowlandSchools.org.